September: An Eventful Month

This month has been a doozey! We're starting to settle into a rhythm now that schedules are set, small groups are started, and everyone knows how to do what they're doing.

One of the highlights from this month is the record turnout at our city-wide weekly meeting. One week we saw 100 in attendance! The Gospel has been shared clearly multiple times, and at least one Point Park student has trusted Christ as a result.

Which leads into another highlight. Several students have seen God use them in the lives of others when they stepped out in faith to share the Gospel. Now those students have a passion for starting spiritual conversations, a passion that is beginning to spread. A new YWAM (Youth With A Mission) team has been planted here in Pittsburgh with the purpose of reaching college students. They are coming alongside our staff and students to do evangelism on campus. We're expectantly anticipating a revival as students begin to understand the truth of the Gospel.

The whole staff team traveled to California, PA to give lift to our small group there. We set up an info table in the student center, handing out lots of free stuff and gathering contact info from interested students. We also did evangelistic surveys with students on campus. It was a new experience for some of our interns and student leaders, and they all came away with a better understanding of how to start conversations. One girl was moved to tears after a great discussion with students.

I got to spend a weekend with my father, step-mom, and aunt when they flew in from California for a family reunion. It was awesome! I had fun getting to know them and living life with them for a few days. Some pain from my childhood resurfaced and wounds reopened, but I feel like the Lord prepared me for that. I'm excited to continue building a relationship with my father. Thanks for your prayers!

I wrote about a little part of Fall Retreat in this month's letter. What I didn't tell you is that our Fall Retreat was for students all over Western PA, and students came from as far as Altoona and Erie to join us. The camp provided meals, so for the first time in years, I didn't spend the entire weekend in the kitchen. It was wonderful. I actually had time to talk with and pray for students. Our speaker, Dan Flynn, whom some of you know, did a really great job of encouraging students to step out in faith.

We also had a staff retreat. We spent time in prayer and in the Word together, shared our testimonies, did some team building and training, and played lots of games. It was refreshing, and the difference in our team dynamics was immediately noticeable.

I'm thankful for you!
Kirstin

August Monthly Snapshot

Here's this month's Snapshot. There is just so much going on in Pittsburgh!

Videos from the 2011 U.S. Staff Conference

I am happy to report that some of the sessions from our recent staff conference have been posted on CCCI’s public website. Please feel free to check them out at http://www.ccci.org/csu/index.htm. You’ll see a list of available videos including the awesome sessions with Francis Chan mentioned in the last Monthly Snapshot and the session where U.S. director Steve Sellers discusses the name change. I highly recommend watching one or all of these videos.

July Monthly Snapshot

 

Getting a New Name

Friends, I’m here at the biennial U.S. National Staff Conference in Fort Collins, Colorado. This week has been amazing! Worshiping with 5,000 Brothers and Sisters with Kingdom vision is like a little taste of heaven. Hearing stories of changed lives from around the world has recaptured my heart. Author Francis Chan led us into the presence of the Lord when he scrapped the notes for both of his talks and spoke from the heart. The movement of the Spirit of God was palpable as the entire U.S. branch of Campus Crusade for Christ fell to its knees in repentance and worship. God’s doing something big here. I’ll tell you more about it in this month’s Snapshot after I return to Pittsburgh, but I wanted to share some news with you. You may have seen or heard stories about CCC’s name change, as it has been covered in almost every major media outlet over the past few days. Not all of it is positive, and most of it is misleading on the part of the reporters with hopes of gaining readership through controversy. I am personally really excited about the change, as it is evidence of our leadership’s open-handed posture before the Lord. To risk the reputation of a 60-year history with a name change would be crazy if it were not Spirit-led. It has been encouraging to hear that not only did the leadership put hours and hours of prayer and research into this process, but Dr. Bill Bright himself knew that a name change may be necessary when He felt the Lord lead him to “Campus Crusade for Christ” in 1951. Here are some notes from the national office:

               

That's right! In the U.S., Campus Crusade for Christ is becoming Cru. We know you care about this ministry and we want you to be among the first know. We're announcing it now. We'll adopt the new name early in 2012.

 

This change is being made in order to be more effective in sharing the gospel and to see even more people come to faith in Christ. It's been a two-year process, but ultimately we have come to this decision through much prayer and with a deep sense of dependence on God.

Words Matter

Although our name for the last 60 years is well respected in Christian ministry and missions, the word “Crusade” now carries serious negative associations. Also, the word "Campus" actually hinders people who are not students from engaging in our broad range of ministries. Research has shown that 20% of the people in the U.S. willing to have a conversation about Jesus are less interested when they hear the name Campus Crusade for Christ. Words may take on new meaning over time, but our calling never changes. We are committed to give every person around the world an opportunity to hear the gospel and a chance to say YES to Jesus. That's what makes a name change necessary.

Field Tested

Cru has been used for over 15 years by a number of our local college ministries. It has a track record of success in evangelism and discipleship. To those who are familiar with us, it connects with our past and yet is forward looking. For those that we will connect with in the future, the name will be filled with all of the experiences and meaning of who we are and what we have to offer.

Changing Our Name Will Help …

• Increase evangelism as more people are willing to engage with us in discussions about Christ.
• Involve more people who want to make a difference in their world for Christ.
• Improve synergy between all our ministries. They will benefit from a more cohesive connection while still maintaining their individual ministry's identity.

In the months ahead, there will be a period of transition where you will see both names used. For more information, please visit www.ccci.org/cru to see a brief video, graphics and answers to the most frequently asked questions.

You can be sure that our calling and mission have not changed. Our heart remains the same— to help fulfill the Great Commission by winning people to Christ, building them in their faith to see their lives transformed, and sending them out to reach others for Christ. Thank you again for your partnership in this ministry. Please pray with us that many more people will come to Christ as we take this step of faith together.

 

What does this change mean for me, my ministry partners, and the students and volunteers of Pittsburgh Metro? Not much, really. We’re been using the name “Cru” on campus since we relaunched at Pitt in 2002. Students in Pittsburgh know us as Cru. Our websites, email address, Facebook pages, and Twitter account all include the name “Cru.” We are known as a group whose purpose is to know Jesus and make Him known. Our vision is, now more than ever, to see every one of the 100,000 students of the greater Pittsburgh area come know someone who truly follows Christ. Our daily ministry activities will still include evangelism, Bible studies, discipleship, ministry training, and life application.

One thing that may change is that many more students will have heard of us due to all the media exposure. They may even be intrigued and show more interest in engaging in conversation with us because of the controversy. Our U.S. national director, Steve Sellers, said it best when he said, “If Cru gets hammered in the media but Jesus gets discussed all over, I can live with that.” Me too. I’m so excited to return to campus this fall with a team of full-time staff and interns, part-time staff, and volunteers. It’ll be the biggest Pittsburgh team since maybe the 1980’s. And we’ll all be stepping out in faith to share the Gospel of Christ in the power of the Spirit, leaving the results to God. Here’s to another 60 years of being used by God.

Summer Project Update 06/20/11

Last week was busy and somewhat overwhelming. Sorry I didn't send an update. Here's a long update to make up for it. :)

* Please pray for jobs for two of our girls. The workplace is their primary ministry location, and it's a crucial part of Project. These two girls were promised jobs at a new restaurant that was to open today, so they've just been waiting to start. This morning they found out the restaurant has run into some problems and can't open, so they are now jobless. They spent time in prayer and have a great outlook, but it will probably be difficult to find jobs this late in the summer. They only have about six work weeks left, and there's a new wave of international students (who can stay through October) arriving right now.

* On June 11 we went to Assateague Island for a bonfire. We played games like ultimate frisbee and made human pyramids and ate s'mores. It was a lot of fun, but what was even better was the worship around the fire. Two student men came prepared to lead worship for about a half an hour. They ended up playing for an hour. It was beautiful to see the students connecting with the Lord and offering Him unhindered praise.

* The "honeymoon phase" of Project is coming to an end. As our director often reminds the students, the idiosyncrasies that are kind of cute at first start to wear on you and your patience starts to run out as the honeymoon ends. Pray for good conflict resolution and for patience and for humility in interpersonal interactions.

* Last Monday (June 13), over half of the Project went to the "Eastern European Coffee House" run by the European Campus Crusade for Christ staff. We outnumbered the international students two to one, but they didn't seem to mind. We played games and talked for a few hours. Our students gained understanding, compassion, and a better vision for reaching internationals. The internationals have developed deeper relationships with some of our students who frequent the coffee house. Pray the Lord would bridge cultural and linguistic barriers to shine His light into the hearts of students. Pray, too, that our students would continue to grow in their desire to reach the nations.

* Fun God story: I was praying for our Saturday afternoon sports outreach because the sports approach is not always fruitful. We can so easily be distracted by the fun and competition of the sports and forget to actually share the Gospel. So, I was sitting on my couch, praying the Lord would use the outreach well, when two young men came to my door. They live nearby and were hoping to use our wireless internet for free. I was reluctant to give that information away, as we use our landlord's wifi connection but invited them in anyway. We chatted while I looked for the internet password (which I couldn't find anyway.) I discovered that they're from Ukraine and invited them to join us on the beach in 15 minutes. I asked if they know "volleyball" and make a bump motion with my hands. One of the guys, Vlad, lit up and said he had been looking for people to play with him for two weeks. He joined us at the court on fourth street. I introduced him to some of our students, and one of the girls recognized him as a coworker. Vlad connected with several of our students and enjoyed playing volleyball with us even though the sand was painfully hot. After the game dispersed, our students asked Vlad and some others to do a photo survey (called Soularium). He answered the questions, but it was obvious that he thinks God is distant and uninterested. Pray for our students who work with Vlad - that they would develop authentic relationships with him. Pray also that He will see the love of Christ in them.

* Pray for wisdom as the staff team assigns leadership positions to students this week. Our desire is to recognize students who are already leading, students who are spiritually and socially mature, students who are walking intimately with the Lord, and students who are able to lead in the absence of staff for the rest of the summer. Some of the roles are already clear, but some are still foggy.

* Students are starting to live a lifestyle of evangelism! Not only do they do initiative evangelism during discipleship and relational evangelism at work and event evangelism on Saturdays (as if that weren't awesome enough), they often choose to use their free time to strike up conversations on the boardwalk. They get it. They see that living for Jesus includes stepping out in faith. They feel the urgency to tell people the Truth. They are willing to sacrifice comfort to make Jesus known.

* I'll write more in this month's Snapshot, but praise the Lord for His work in the women. I have really loved my role in giving direction to the women's ministry. I love writing talks and developing discussion questions and finding books and articles for reflection. It has been really fun to watch the women open up with each other and to see the chains of sin and shame fall away.

* My  mom still doesn't know what's going on in her body. She's spent the past two weeks visiting doctors, subjected to lots of testing. Right now the bleeding has stopped and it doesn't look like her cancer has come back (praise the Lord!), but they can't treat anything without a diagnosis. Please keep praying for her. She has mentioned God a few times in our conversations, but she doesn't quite get the Gospel yet. Oh! Another fun God story: my brother, Scott, plays baseball with a boy whose mom has M.S. too. She and her husband are Believers and shine Jesus brightly. She has invited my mom to join an M.S. support group at a local (biblical, healthy, growing) church. I am so excited about their friendship. Pray the Lord will use this woman to share with my mom in ways that I can't!

* I also had a really great conversation with my biological father on father's day. Since my parents' divorce in '86, he has floated in and out of my life. As an adult, I have sought to build a relationship with him and have come to really enjoy him. As we talked, I remembered the letter I wrote to him in the living room of one of the apartments in the Three Jacks last summer. I was here for a Project reunion and felt the overwhelming need to write him a letter of forgiveness. I shared the Gospel in the letter and forgot all about it until last night. I was shocked to hear that he had been at a Switchfoot concert this weekend. He knows they're a Christian band and thinks they're really good. He even met the band and talked with them. It turns out my dad is helping "Stand Up for Kids," an organization that works to protect street kids, by manning their booths at Switchfoot concerts this summer. Crazy. Pray that my dad's love of music and respect for musicians will open his heart to the Gospel. Pray the guys of Switchfoot will shine Christ's love and speak of His message of salvation boldly.

Thanks again for your prayers! We need them, and the Lord is answering them.

Summer Project Update 06/06/11

Since Summer Project is packed full of action, my goal is to send you a weekly update and prayer requests. The staff has already been here for two weeks, and the students are finishing out their first full week. We are now past the orientation weeks, and the regular weekly schedule started yesterday.

* The students all arrived safely last Tuesday. There are 11 guys living in two apartments and 19 girls in the other two apartments at the "Three Jacks." Praise the Lord, there hasn't been any roommate conflict yet. Please continue to pray for patience and understanding as the students are crammed into their apartments and have very little personal space (read: their only personal space is their bunk).

* Most of our students have found jobs, but some are still searching. Their jobs are their primary ministry locations, so pray that they would get jobs that allow them to interact with and build relationships with their coworkers. Pray for boldness in sharing why they're here for the summer and for wisdom in asking intentional questions.

* Our very first Project event was evangelism on the boardwalk. Some of the students were nervous, having never done surveys before, but they all had a willing attitude. The staff members paired their Bible studies up so that an experienced person went with an inexperienced or less experienced person. Before going out, we broke out into Bible studies and prayed. It was beautiful to see 30 college students seeking the Lord and stepping out in faith to make Him known. We did surveys on the boardwalk again on Saturday, and the students were excited. One group of girls got to share the Gospel with three college-aged women. They had the awesome privilege of seeing two of those women pray to receive Christ right then and there! The Project girls said they couldn't believe it. What a great way to start the summer!

* On Friday, the Bible studies broke off and shared their Life Stories (also known as Soul to Soul). It was a time when the staff and their 3-4 (same sex) students shared the details of their lives. Not only did they talk about the basic timeline and major events of their lives, they shared the most personal and intimate details, like what they struggle with most. Chains always fall off during this time as people bring sin into the light and begin the healing process. There's an understanding that the information shared is confidential, and the group bonds as a community in a way few people have ever experienced. That night at the cookout I could tell that the students felt more comfortable with each other. Women who had just met were suddenly as close as life-long friends. Praise the Lord!

* There are 5,000 international students living and working in OCMD this summer. Most of them (probably about 3,000) are Russian or Russian-speaking. The Lord has led Campus Crusade for Christ staff in Bulgaria and UIkraine (where Crusade is called "Agape") to bring some of their students here on an international Summer Project. All seven of their students speak Russian and will be living in an apartment complex with 60 other (non-Christian) Russian speaking students. Please pray for these staff and students as they pioneer and minister to the internationals here. Pray, too, that we would be able to partner with them in some creative and fun ways.

* On a personal note, I was involved in a minor car accident on Saturday. I felt an impression that I should slow down and stay alert even though I was obeying the speed limit. Then an SUV in the left lane tried to merge into my lane, crushing the right side of my car. I'm totally okay, and the damage seems to be superficial. I'm in the process of working out the report and repairs. I was shaken, but immediately went into ministry mode (thanks to the Holy Spirit). After I called to request an officer and an accident report, the other driver, Emily,  and I sat on the curb for at least 40 minutes. It may have been longer. In that time, Emily must have apologized ten times. I tried to reassure her that I was okay and that I wasn't going to treat her poorly for her mistake. She finally started to open up and tell me about herself. I got to tell her what I do and why I'm in OCMD for the summer. I didn't get to share the Gospel clearly, but I trust the Lord will use our conversation to nudge her closer to Him. Please pray for Emily!

* And on another personal note, I got a text from my dad this morning saying that my mom is in the hospital. She found out she has Multiple Sclerosis in April and has since been visiting lots of doctors and having lots of tests done. When I was home in May, I went with her to the MS specialist. That day she found out she also has Lyme Disease. Last night, she had some unexplained bleeding that got progressively worse. She was admitted to the hospital, and they are running a bunch of tests to find the source and the cause. She battled colon cancer from 2002 to 2004, so she thinks this bleeding may be somehow related. There are a lot of prayer requests in this situation. The obvious one is that the doctors would have wisdom to find the problem and treat it. A bigger request, though, is that my mom would (finally) come to know the Lord. He certainly has her attention, but her heart has been hard toward "religion" and faith issues my whole life. She shuts down when I try to talk about my job or my faith. Please pray that the Lord would speak through me and the other Christians in her life and draw her into a relationship with Himself. It breaks my heart to know that she doesn't live in the freedom of the Gospel. As you can probably guess, this news has been really distracting. Please also pray that my ministry here would not be negatively affected. I can already see the ways the Enemy is fighting for my thoughts.

Thank you for partnering with me and, by default, everyone on this Project. ?We're all thankful!